New on Blu-ray: THE SOLDIER'S TALE (1984) - Animation

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Product Description: The Soldier's Tale is an animated classic by the renowned New Yorker illustrator R.O. Blechman, based on Igor Stravinsky’s 1918 composition. This poetic tale revolves around a young soldier’s return home, where he strikes a deal with the devil, trading his beloved violin for boundless wealth. Haunted by regret, the soldier sets out on a journey to reclaim his soul and rediscovers the life he left behind. As the soldier ventures into these alternate realities, Blechman’s simple pen-and-ink drawings explode into colorful fantasies. The film was a milestone in the marriage of animation and music (Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” was used to score one of the most memorable sequences of Walt Disney’s Fantasia). This 2K restoration of The Soldier’s Tale (from the filmmaker’s personal 35mm print) is accompanied by Blechman’s Christmas-themed short film No Room at the Inn.

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New on Blu-ray: THE COCA-COLA KID (1985) Starring Eric Roberts & Greta Scacchi

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Product Description: When a small-town Australian soda maker refuses to convert his factory to Coca-Cola production, the parent company sends in its whiz kid "troubleshooter" Becker (Eric Roberts, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Star 80) to resolve the issue. The previously unflappable Becker, however, finds his own resolve challenged by Australia's unique character and characters―namely Terri (Greta Scacci, The Player and White Mischief), his beautiful and very eccentric secretary, and McDowell (Bill Kerr, Gallipoli and Razorback), the stubbornly independent soft drink entrepreneur. Serbian auteur Dušan Makavejev (Montenegro and W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism) brings his celebrated off-kilter and boundary-pushing sensibilities to this classic screwball comic set-up, so that the narrative remains refreshingly unpredictable, unconventional and subversive throughout.

Becker, Terri and McDowell originate in the short stories of award-winning Australian writer Frank Moorhouse, who adapted them for the film's screenplay. The film's attractive primary locations―cosmopolitan Sydney and the stunning Blue Mountains region―are stylishly shot by Mad Max cinematographer Dean Semler. The original songs, including the incredibly catchy “Coca-Cola Jingle,” come from Tim Finn, founding member of popular New Zealand rock band Split Enz. For this worldwide Blu-ray premiere, The Coca-Cola Kid has been restored in 2K from its 35mm interpositive.

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Find out more about this DVD/Blu-ray release after the jump.